Australia study abroad programs

Applying to College
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<p>marny1 - UNSW does have three campuses but 99% of classes would be at kensington (the main campus). </p>

<p>There is COFA at paddington (which is a nice part of sydney) and that is a fine arts campus. There is a bus that goes between the main campus and the cofa campus. Its more that fine arts students come to main campus than kids from main campus going to COFA. I think the other campus is for students doing oceanography or something like that ... again something really specific (it may not be oceanography but i think its something along those lines). There is also a campus in canberra which is for our defense force. Study aborad students obviously would have nothing to do with that. </p>

<p>The kensington campus is a 10-15 min bus ride to the centre of sydney and a 15 min walk to the beach. COFA would be a 5 min bus to the centre of sydney and about a 15 min bus ride to the beach. They are both really well located campuses in regards to distance from city and beaches.</p>

<p>If anyone has questions about UNSW feel free to ask :)</p>

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<p>Thanks so much for the info Sid- UNSW looks like it could be a school that may meet my d's needs. 15 minute bus ride to central Sydney and a 15 minute walk to the beach!! Sounds heavenly. Though there doesn't seem to be a sport management program, it does have a Tourism and Hospitality "major" which would allow d to take a lot of the necessary business courses she needs as well as a course or two in Event Planning/Arena Management, which also falls into the sport management field. Also looking into International College of Management (also mostly Tourism/Hospitality) through Macquarie U and U of Queensland near Brisbane.
Got a Travel guide for Australia (Fodor or Frommers) from the library. As it has lots of maps and gives a clear representation as to where things are, it might be helpful for those looking into study abroad programs in Australia to get a travel book from the library to help form an opinion as to where one wants to study.
Right now it is about 10 degrees in NYC, and I shudder to think what it is upstate NY where my d is-- I think anyplace in Australia will sound good to my kid right now!!
Thanks for the info.
Also -just a reminder--the arcadia website was pretty good in connecting you to the programs and courses available at their participating universities. I find the Australian U websites a bit harder to navigate than our colleges- so take advantage of any info that can help --</p>

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<p>Hi Syd- just wondering- do you know anything about the schools near Brisbane?? U of Queensland and Griffith U are also under consideration. I believe one of the sports programs is at the Ipswhich campus (Queensland??) and one is at the Nathan campus (Griffith??) As d is a freshman she has plenty of time to check this all out.
Thanks.</p>

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<p>Melbourne would be the equivalent of Soho in NYC today, was backwards and slow and then over last 15 years brought character and a certain intellectual, clubby type feel. But forget the weather and the ocean down there, not even close to Sydney, Brisbane...and it's really the home of the great white. In Sydney, UNSW has top rep, but Macquarie and U of Sydney excellent as well. But it's not the picnic you'd imagine with oceans running up to the dorm steps...these campuses are pretty drab and do not at all have the feel of the Farber/Dartmouth traditional US college. They remind me more of Rutgers and Kean in NJ, practical, grey... And the ocean is not great around Sydney either, cold and usually touristy near Sydney. What you will do is meet Australians and generally have fun. Griffith in Brisbane would be the perfect location, but that would be a Third Tier school. But Brisbane is the real deal in terms of Aussie commercials with waves and beaches. If it sounds like rain on the parade, I do think we romanticize the country and relevant to note that many, many of the top Aussie students are dying to come to the U.S. and Europe...My advice would be to choose England, France, Italy if you are pursuing a more traditional major in arts, sciences and then take a winter off and vacation in Australia.</p>

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<p>True Melbourne doesn't have the weather of Brisbane, but I loved it. I think it's a great city with tons of art, markets, museums, and culture. And you can go surfing along the Great Ocean Rd. Torquay is the headquarters for tons of prosurfers and surfing companies, such as Rip Curl. I surfed in Anglesea, and Bells Beach is famous. </p>

<p>I did have friends at UQ (University of Queensland) and they also had a great time.</p>

<p>Whatever you do, be sure to travel!</p>

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<p>Highway 9 i am interested in your comments</p>

<p>Firstly you say:
"these campuses are pretty drab and do not at all have the feel of the Farber/Dartmouth traditional US college." </p>

<p>You are correct that the universities in Australia will not feel like Dartmouth... but if you were wanting a new hampshire american college environment i think it would mean you have a bit of a confused impression about Australia. The students in Australia tend to commute to classes. However in the big universities there are many kids from the country or from overseas who live on or around campus. It is different from the american college experience where just about everyone lives on campus. </p>

<p>The campuses are not all drab... like in any country they are varied. USyd has sandstone while UNSW is modern buildings. Maqaurie is out in the suburbs and has a bushland feel about it (lots of trees and open spaces...however you wont find the ivy clad walls and green lawns). I have been told the University of Melbourne is Beautiful but i have not been there personally. </p>

<p>While the campus is not set on the beach, at unsw the study abroad housing is set in a beach suburb of Coogee. You may not score and apartment ON the beach but is usually within a 5 min walk from your front door. All of sydney is fighting for an apartment on the beach so they can be hard to come across, however i have heard some students get lucky! </p>

<p>As far as i know Sydney university students usually live around Newtown and glebe which are not beach suburbs but are trendy areas with lots of cafes/bars etc and an arty eccentric crowd. </p>

<p>" the ocean is not great around Sydney either, cold and usually touristy near Sydney."</p>

<p>Maybe you came on a bad day or season. It is not as warm as it is in queensland but Sydney does have some of the best beaches in the world. The ones tourists tend to go to are touristy (obviously), but there are many beaches just next door to the touristy beaches that the locals go to. If anyone is interested i can suggest a few.</p>

<p>"But Brisbane is the real deal in terms of Aussie commercials with waves and beaches."</p>

<p>I am a little confused by this comment as brisband is inland?
Do you mean queensland? Yes Queensland does have some of the best beaches in Australia, it is quite tropical and beautiful... but Brisband is set on a river about an hour inland from the ocean.</p>

<p>"many of the top Aussie students are dying to come to the U.S. and Europe"</p>

<p>Of course many of the top students are dying to go to a university in another country. Especially if you are passionate about European art or American history etc. I think that is a normal progression for most exceptional students. However i would not say that is because Australia's education or Australia itself is of sub standard. In fact most Australian students tend not to study overseas and usually stay in their home city, it is usually at Phd level that a student may chose to change states or go overseas. Students who go to study in england or Europe tend to go for a completely different study abroad experience. I have lived in both england, mainland Europe and America... they are all so different! In my opinion, its all about personal fit. </p>

<p>Sorry if that came across as a personal attack. I did not mean it to be. You are correct that the Australian system is different from the American, our universities have a different vibe about them. I just think it depends on the person and what they are looking for as to if that is necessarily a bad thing.</p>

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<p>Marny1,</p>

<p>I know a little but not a lot sorry. Griffith is based at the gold coast, which is on the coast (the campus as far as i know is not on the beach but the area has plenty of beaches). I am not sure exactly where the Nathan Campus is located in regards to the Gold Coast but I am assuming its a suburb of the gold coast. The gold coast is very touristy and has lots of theme parks (like Disneyland’s but not as big). It is completely different to other cities … some people find it very tacky while others think it’s wonderful. I would suggest you research the tourist information to try and get a handle of the vibe; it’s a unique place. </p>

<p>I asked my dad about Ipswhich and he said that the University of Queensland is a good university and Ipswhich is about a 40 min commute from Brisbane (the capitol of Queensland). I think it is a separate campus from the main campus I suppose it depends where your daughter is from and what she likes. I don’t know much about Ipswhich other than one of Australia’s most controversial politicians had a fish and chip shop there (very helpful information for you). J</p>

<p>The main campus of Uni of Queensland is at St Lucia (Brisbane) and is supposed to be really beautiful. It is sandstone and on the river. Brisbane as a city has picked up in the last decade, it use to be a really sleepy city but now it has more of a nightlife apparently. </p>

<p>Sorry I cant be of more help in regards to Queensland Universities. </p>

<p>Queensland itself tends to be different from New South Wales (where sydney is) and Victoria (where Melbourne is). I suppose it would be equivalent to the American South... people are more laid back while others tend to view them as too slow. Does that make any sense? Its hard to draw parallels across different continents but i think thats the best way to describe the different general attitudes.</p>

<p>Oh and i did the drive from Coogee to UNSW yesterday and i fear it may have been more than 15 mins walking distance. I have always been told its only about that though so i could have driven the long way. It may be a 10 min bus ride. I live in the other direction so have never walked to the beach from campus.
Try to get google earth and it may help you locate each campus in relation to its surroundings. Thats what i did when i was researching study abroad in the states and i found it really helpful.</p>

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<p>In my area of NY(Long Island and lots of friends in NYC) , Australia seems to be the # 1 Study Abroad destination.</p>

<p>Somehow, I think that may be because we don't need to know another language. But it seems to be a wonderful place, filled with students from all over the world with a natural environment very different from the USA (especially upstate NY in winter).<br>
Just taking our kids out of their comfort zone and having them in a new environment and culture with other students from all around the world is an extremely valuable experience. I am very glad that d # 1 is doing a study abroad program now (in Italy) and d #2 is planning to do one in her Junior year.
I think the experience makes them better citizens of the world!!</p>

<p>Syd- we must have been posting at the same time- Thanks for the info on the universities. I think I am going to pass the info along to my d and let her make the decisions. There really seem to be a bunch of variables in picking the right campus.</p>

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<p>Any time Marny. I remember how tough it was trying to find information and just having websites to go on (and of course each website says their program is the best!). If your daughter has any questions i am happy to help :)</p>

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<p>Australia is awash in gorgeous beaches. They might have the same number of coast line as the US with 1/15th the population! There are only 20 million people using their pristine beaches vs our 300 million. They can afford to 'dis the city beaches but many, including Bondi beach in Sydney, are historic favorites. </p>

<p>The Melbourne and Sydney beaches might be secondary to the Gold or Sunshine Coast beaches --look at it as the difference between the North Carolina and the Panhandle beaches. North Carolina is a bit colder and not quite as sparkly white--but it's still darned nice. My friends in Melbourne use their local beaches constantly.</p>

<p>Anyway, if you've been going to school in Boston, ALL the Australian beaches are going to be sweet, mate!</p>

<p>Brisbane has a good science program. The Gold Coast area reminds me of Florida--without the hoards of snowbirds. Personally, I'd recommend the student head up to Cairns to see the barrier reef and the tropical parks.</p>

<p>Sydney and Melbourne are the best choices for a US CC student, in my opinion.</p>

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<p>OMG- This is going to be my 1,000 posting. What better place to put it - in a discussion about Australia. Sunny beaches- beautiful countryside- and all good things.</p>

<p>Anyway (after I said I wasn't going to check it out anymore) I found a pretty good website. <a href="http://www.australearn.org%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.australearn.org&lt;/a> It's a non profit organization- but it does hook you up to a bunch of schools in Australia and does give good info about the campuses etc. So it may be pretty helpful in obtaining info on the individual schools.
As my d is a SUNY student, she may have to go on a SUNY sponsored program, but checking their study abroad website, I believe they have programs at almost all the Australian schools.<br>
Thanks Sid, Cheers, Jenskate and others for all the info--
Marny<br>
Senior Member CC</p>

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<p>Australearn's pretty good; my sister went to University of Melbourne through them.</p>

<p>In order to be different, though, I'm heading off to the University of Auckland through IES (ok, other reasons too!). Plane leaves Monday, I can't wait. :)</p>

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<p>Good luck star girl! NZ is supposed to be beautiful :)</p>

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<p>Seven months later and a bit closer to getting Serious about Study Abroad Program, so I Figure it's time to bump this back up--</p>

<p>Anyone know anything about Bond University?? It's on the Gold Coast about an hour from Brisbane. It is one of the few schools in Australia in which the semesters coincide with ours. It seems most schools go to late June or July and that might make it difficult for d to get a summer job or Internship. They also have a Sports Management Program- so this school looks promising for my kid.</p>

<p>Just curious if anyone had personal info about Bond U-</p>

<p>Thanks-</p>

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<p>Anyone know how good the economics/business classes are in USNW and/or Univ of Melbourne, because I'm considering studying abroad there next fall and econ is my major. Also I've heard the system of lecture is different there. How often do lectures meet, in America its 2 to 3 times, I heard in Australia its just one long one per week?</p>

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<p>UNSW is highly respected for its business and economics. Both UNSW and UMelbourne are top uni's within Australia. I know Umel is highly respected for its ARTS (humanities), but i think it is well respected in general, so economics would definitely not be of a poor standard. </p>

<p>When trying to work out which university would be better to attend i would suggest instead focusing on what kind of experience you would like to have while abroad. At unsw you would be able to live at coogee beach and be quite close to the city of Sydney (well you can choose where you live, but many students choose to live at coogee while abroad). I hear melbourne has a lovely campus (at least one part of the campus is sandstone) and melbourne itself is also a great city. However, Sydney and Melbourne have quite different vibes. This is the best summary i can think of off the top of my head.</p>

<p>Sydney: Warmer and in general has less rain. More beaches. A beautiful harbour and quite a busy metropolitan city. </p>

<p>Melbourne: Cooler and prone to having "4 seasons in one day". Does have beaches but is more well known for its cultural activities (lots of art galleries and sporting events), cafe culture (although sydney does have cafe's too)</p>

<p>The best comparison i can think of would be San Francisco (as Sydney) and Boston (as Melbourne). Others may wish to disagree. </p>

<p>At UNSW economics classes are usually a two hour lecture (or 1.5 hours) and a one hour tutorial (or 1.5 hours if lecture was only 1.5). A lecture may have a few 100 students but the tutorial usually has about 20. It does vary class to class and school to school. You could look up the UNSW handbook and if you click the timetable link at each class description it should tell you times. Alternatively if you dont want descriptions try a page called class utilisation which lists times for this year that may give you an idea of what it will be like in the future. I am guessing Melbourne would be similar. </p>

<p>I go to UNSW so feel free to ask any questions (i tried not to be biased, I swear)</p>

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<p>Hi Sid- glad you're back as you were quite helpful to me.<br>
ok- I think wemade alot of progress in determining a school for my kid. An overriding factor may be the "semester calendar" as d wants to be around in early summer so she can get summer job or internship.<br>
so we found 2 schools that follow USA semesters (semester ends late April/May) and both school have her major/ sport management.</p>

<p>Bond U on Gold Coast (south of surfers Paradise) &
International College of Management in Sydney</p>

<p>can you tell me about Gold Coast area? My initial impression is that it might like going to school inflorida as opposed to a city- but any insider info would be appreciated.
Thanks
marny</p>

<p>this is for next year- so we have plenty of time to make a decision!!</p>

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<p>I was just re-reading some of the old comments- syd I think you already gave me some info on gold coast such as-- some could find it tacky while others find it wonderful. As my d would also consider her experience in Australia as a 5 month diversion from winter in upstate NY, I think she would see it as a wonderful experience.</p>

<p>I'll suggest to my d to go to the travel books and web sites to determine what works better for her-
but all info re: Gold Coast would be appreciated.<br>
5 months in Sydney or on the Gold Coast---
we should all have these hard decisions to make!</p>

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<p>Thanks a lot sid, great info.</p>

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<p>I've been to the Gold Coast a few times.</p>

<p>It is Florida with better surf--about 30 years ago.</p>

<p>The Sydney course sounds like a polytech course. Inquire about the percentage of international students enrolled.</p>

<p>Australia is sports mad--and invests millions in it's sport development. Not sure the alignment of semesters is worth jumping out of a good university program....</p>